BACKGROUND TO THE NATIONAL FIRE DANGER RATING SYSTEM
Chapter 3 of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act requires the establishment of a National Fire Danger Rating System.
Such a system has a number of components:
Climate and Risk
Veldfire Information System
Monitor and
improve
Fire danger
regions map
Daily data for region:
 Fuel condition
 Forecast and actual
weather
Input
region
data
Monitor and
improve
Monitor and
improve
Fire danger
rating table
Output
index
Fire danger
model
Rating
Forecast
and actual
fire danger
rating for
regions
Communicate
Users in each
region
Collect fire
occurrence
data
The national system will operate in a number of distinct regions which correspond with different fire conditions. Within
each region data relating to flammable fuel structure and condition (fuel models) must be specified, together with daily
forecast weather data, for inputting to the Fire Danger model. This model is used to calculate daily forecast Fire Danger
Index values. The forecast indices of fire danger are then entered into a Fire Danger Rating Table. The table classifies
fire danger rating five categories:
1. When the danger rating is insignificant (blue), the fire danger is so low that no precaution is needed.
2. When the rating is low (green), fires including prescribed burns may be allowed in the open air on the condition
that persons making fires take reasonable precautions against fires spreading.
3. When the rating is moderate (yellow), the fire danger is such that no fires may be allowed in the open air except
those that are authorised by the Chief Fire Officer of the local fire service and those in designated fireplaces;
authorised fires may include prescribed burns.
4. When the rating is high (orange), the fire danger is such that no fires may be allowed under any circumstances
in the open air.
5. When the rating is extreme (red), the fire danger is such that no fires may be allowed under any circumstances
in the open air, and special emergency fire preparedness measures must be invoked.
The index value leads to a danger rating for the region, which is communicated daily to relevant parties, and broadcast to
everyone if the rating is high or extreme. Finally, the National Veldfire Information System, which will be available for the
management of fire reports from fire protection associations and others, will be employed in the continuous improvement
of the Fire Danger Rating System, among other things.
This section of the Act has not yet been brought into effect because DWAF has not yet decided which fire danger rating
model to use.
Table 1: Five fire danger rating classes proposed for the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry to meet the requirements of Chapter 3 of the National Veld and
Forest Fire Act, Section 9(4)(c) and 9(4)(d)
INDICATIVE
COLOUR
DANGER
RATING
FIRE
PREVENTION
AND
PREPAREDNESS
MEASURES
BLUE
GREEN
YELLOW
ORANGE
RED
Insignificant
Low
Moderate
High
High - extreme
Fires including prescribed
burns may be lit, used or
maintained in the open
air on the condition that
persons making fires take
reasonable precautions
against the fires’
spreading.
No fires may be allowed
in the open air except
those that are authorised
by the Fire Protection
Officer where a Fire
Protection Association
exists, or elsewhere, the
Chief Fire Officer of the
local fire service, or fires
in designated fireplaces.
No fires may be allowed under
any circumstances in the open air.
No fires may be allowed under any
circumstances in the open air and
Fire Protection Associations and
municipal Disaster Management
Centres must invoke contingency
fire emergency and disaster
management plans including
extraordinary readiness and
response plans. All operations likely
to ignite fires halted. Householders
placed on alert.
Above precautionary
measure to be prescribed
and made applicable
nationally on days rated
moderate.
Section 10(1)(b) applies: no
person may light, use or maintain
a fire in the open air.
Section 10(1)(b) applies: no person
may light, use or maintain a fire in
the open air.
The threat of disastrous wildfires
exists at municipal level under
these conditions. Municipal
Disaster Management Centres
must invoke contingency plans
and inform National and Provincial
Disaster Management Centres.
(Section 49 of the Disaster
Management Bill).
The threat of disastrous wildfires at
provincial level exists under these
conditions. Municipal Disaster
Management Centres must invoke
contingency plans and inform
National and Provincial Disaster
Management Centres. (Section 49
of the Disaster Management Bill).
Fires ignited readily and spread
very rapidly, with local crowning
and short-range spotting. Flame
Conflagrations are likely in
plantation forests, stands of alien
invasive trees and shrubs, sugar
No precaution is
needed
APPLICATION OF
THE ACT
RELATIONSHIP
WITH DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
FIRE
BEHAVIOUR
Fires are not likely
to ignite. If they do,
they are likely to go
Fires likely to ignite
readily but spread slowly.
Fires ignite readily and
spread rapidly, burning in
the surface layers below
INDICATIVE
COLOUR
BLUE
GREEN
out without
suppression action.
There is little
flaming combustion.
Flame lengths in
grassland and plantation
forest litter lower than 1.0
m and rates of forward
spread less than 0.3
kilometres per hour.
trees.
Direct attack feasible:
fires safely approached
on foot. Suppression is
readily achieved by direct
manual attack methods.
Direct attack constrained:
fires not safe to approach
on foot for more than
very short periods. Best
forms of control should
combine water tankers
and back burning from
fire control lines.
Flame lengths in
grassland and
plantation forest
litter lower than 0.5
m and rates of
forward spread less
than 0.15 kilometres
per hour.
FIRE
SUPPRESSION
DIFFICULTY
Direct attack
feasible: one or a
few field crew with
basic fire fighting
tools easily
suppresses any fire
that may occur.
YELLOW
Flame lengths in
grasslands and plantation
forests between 1 and
2m, and rates of forward
spread between 0.3 and
1.5 kilometres per hour.
ORANGE
lengths between 2 and 5 m, and
rates of forward spread between
1.5 and 2.0 kilometres per hour.
RED
cane plantations, and fynbos. Long
range fire spotting is likely in these
fuel types.
Rates of forward spread of head
fires can exceed 4.0 kilometres per
hour and flame lengths will be in the
order of 5 – 15 m or more.
Direct attack not feasible: fires
cannot be approached at all and
back burning, combined with
aerial support are the only
effective means to combat fires.
Equipment such as water tankers
should concentrate efforts on the
protection of houses.
Any form of fire control is likely to be
precluded until the weather
changes. Back burning dangerous
and best avoided.